Terviva appoints biofuels veteran Bowen as executive vice president of business development

Bowen

Terviva, an agricultural-innovation company partnering with energy-transition investors, farmers and landowners to establish large-scale pongamia plantations announced Sept. 16 the appointment of Eric Bowen as its executive vice president of business development.

Bowen, an industry veteran with extensive experience in renewable energy and corporate development, will lead Terviva’s strategic initiatives to expand its market presence and partnerships.

Bowen brings over two decades of leadership and business-development expertise to Terviva.

His career includes 12 years at Renewable Energy Group Inc., where he held a number of executive roles including vice president of strategy, general counsel and vice president of corporate-business development.

Bowen played pivotal roles in establishing REG’s renewable diesel business, growing REG to be the largest producer of biodiesel and renewable diesel in the U.S., and ultimately selling the company to Chevron in 2022 for $3.2 billion.

Prior to REG, Bowen founded and served as president and CEO of Tellurian Biodiesel Inc., a pioneering California waste to low-carbon fuel company acquired by REG in 2010.

His broad experience also includes current or past service on the board of directors of RYAM, Forge Hydrocarbons and Hydrogen Works.

Prior to joining Terviva full time, Bowen served on the Terviva advisory board.

“We are thrilled to welcome Eric Bowen to our executive team,” said Naveen Sikka, CEO of Terviva. “His deep understanding of the renewable energy landscape, proven track record in business development and existing relationship with Terviva through our advisory board make him an invaluable asset as we scale our innovative pongamia-based solutions for sustainable fuel, food and feed.”

Bowen said, “I am delighted to deepen my relationship with Terviva. I look forward to leveraging my deep experience in biofuels and business development to work with strategic partners to realize the full potential of pongamia. Together we can scale pongamia globally to be a meaningful new source of sustainable energy, food and feed.”

Bowen holds a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon Honors College.

Terviva said his appointment underscores the company’s commitment to accelerating the adoption of pongamia as a transformative crop for climate-resilient agriculture and diversified product streams.

Founded in 2010, Terviva has pioneered the development of high-yielding pongamia cultivars and proprietary processing technologies to convert pongamia beans into sustainable food ingredients and feedstock for biofuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).